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[For those who don’t know, I am participating in A Century of Books this year which requires me to read one book from each year from 1919 through 2018.]

The 1970s are going to be weird for me. On the one hand there are tried and true authors, but on the other are books I have never heard of and know nothing about. There are no obvious choices.

1970

Children Are Civilians Too – Heinrich Boll
The Hopeful Traveller – Mary Hocking
Houses – Borislav Pekic
Last Things – C.P. Snow

1971

A Meaningful Life – L.J. Davis
The Climbing Frame – Mary Hocking
Message from Malaga – Helen MacInnes
Mawrdew Czgowchwz – James McCourt
Equal Danger – Leonardo Sciascia
Unforgiving Years – Victor Serge
Not to Disturb – Muriel Spark

I’ll never be able to discuss the James McCourt novel. That’s a lot of consonants.

1972

The Acolyte – Thea Astley
No Name in the Street – James Baldwin
Short Letter, Long Farewell – Peter Handke
Upstairs Downstairs – John Hawkesworth
The Bridge of Beyond – Simone Schwarz-Bart
The Malcontents – C.P. Snow
Augustus – John Williams

I almost didn’t put the John Hawkesworth on this list as it’s a novelization of the 1970s Upstairs Downstairs and didn’t seem like a “real” book to me but more of a novelty item. The Baldwin almost didn’t make the list because it is a collection of essays rather than a novel. I love the title Short Letter, Long Farewell.

1973

The Dressmaker – Beryl Bainbridge
The Black Prince – Iris Murdoch
The Siege of Swayne Castle – R.C. Sherriff
The Hothouse by the East River – Muriel Spark
Other Men’s Daughters – Richard Stern

When I purchased Other Men’s Daughters recently I had  a lot of people chime in on Twitter that it was an excellent book.

1974

Doctor Frigo – Eric Ambler
The Snare of the Hunter – Helen MacInnes
In Their Wisdom – C.P. Snow

This perfect storm of authors I like with no other wild cards to choose from. It also represents the last bit of each of their writing output for Ambler (only 2 more books to be published and  Snow (only 1 more). MacInnes had a bit more steam left with 5 more yet to be published.

1975

The Realms of Gold – Margaret Drabble
First Love, Last Rights – Ian McEwan
The Odd Angry Shot – William Nagle

This is going to be a tough choice between the Drabble and McEwan but I think the fact that this is McEwans first novel may tilt the month in his favorite. 

1976

The Spring – Kerstin Ekman
Agent in Place – Helen MacInnes
A World of Light – May Sarton

1977

The Dark Lady – Louis Auchincloss

It’s going to be hard to choose for 1977. Which will it be…?

1978

Injury Time – Beryl Bainbridge
God on the Rocks – Jane Gardam
Prelude to Terror – Helen MacInnes
The High Cost of Living – Marge Piercy
A Reckoning – May Sarton
The Moro Affair – Leonardo Sciascia
Fields of Fire – James Webb
The Volunteers – Raymond Williams

1979

Pig Earth – John Berger
The Safety Net – Heinrich Boll
Slow Homecoming – Peter Handke
Territorial Rights – Muriel Spark

For the whole list,

TBR Chron